(This happened a little while ago, but since I just started my blog I wanted to share it with you.)  I came home a little later from work and Linda had just sat all the kids down for dinner.  Linda informed me that the discussion concerning heaven had started earlier that afternoon.  Heaven was mentioned in the conversation and Molly informed Spencer that there was gold in Heaven.  Spencer’s response was, “I don’t like gold.”  Molly said, “Well, do you like fire?”  “No!”  “Well then, you have to ask Jesus in your heart so you can go to heaven . . . Mom, can you help him ask Jesus in his heart?”  It was at that point that Linda stepped in and thought she might want to explain a little bit more.  So as Linda explained and Spencer started to lose interest, Molly said, “come on Spencer.  Let’s go in our room and I’ll help you.”  Linda tried to continue her explanation; Molly became more earnest; and Spencer yelled out, “Hey, want to play ball?”  Linda told them to wait until I came home. 

An hour later I came home.  As we sat at the table, Molly soon asked Linda if she could ask me about their conversation.  Linda desired to have Molly explain the situation to me and asked Molly what she was talking about.  So, Molly informed me that she wanted to pray and ask Jesus into her heart.  I wanted to make sure she knew why she needed to and began to ask her why she needed to and why she would go to hell if she didn’t.  She asked me why there was fire in hell and Spencer pitched in that there were bad people in hell.

I have no desire to force of push Molly into a false trust in Christ.  I thought it might be best to let the conversation wait until after dinner.  We answered a few more questions and prodded her to wait a couple more times . . .

She had enough . . . She just started praying in her seat, “Thank you Jesus for dying on the cross. I say, think and do bad things that don’t make you happy.”  I guess that does it.  What does she need us for?

. . . One criticism of Evangelicalism is that we have fostered a humanistic approach to salvation.  Humanism seems to make the primary purpose of man their own happiness instead of God’s glory.  Salvation is presented to people as an escape from hell.  Would this not still be a self centered drive?  Liberals tell us that our greatest life can be now and Conservatives say that your greatest life can be in the future.  Both of them are focused on man’s own happiness.  On the other hand the gospels do tell us that Christ came to seek and to save those who are lost.  I suppose I will continue to struggle through this, but don’t worry Molly isn’t worried about it.